Saturday, 28 December 2013

Mombasa Diaries: Day 1: The Holidays are here!

It's my second holiday at the coast as a 'healthy' natural. I'm a little older and a little wiser (at the hair game at least) so I've decided to document how my hair handles two weeks of sand, sea and surf.

Night before: I've been wearing a Bantu knot-out for two weeks now. I can't normally pull it off that long but I've been retwisting every so often with Kakena's Hair Milk and it has held really really well. (Unfortunately I didn't have the presence of mind to take a good hair pic so I'm posting a gratuitous fun-times pic.)

Party over here!

After getting a whopping 90 minutes of sleep, it's time to do a mad dash to the airport. Unbelievably, even in the wee alcohol filled hours, I managed to preserve my Bantu knot out by doing a few large knots before bed so this morning I quickly pin it up (same style as the previous night) and off we go.

Flight deteriorates quickly when Child realises she is forcibly attached to me by her seat belt. It's hard to pretend a child isn't yours when she's sitting on your lap but I get a solid B+ for trying anyway. There were no happy campers within a four seat radius.

Hour 1: land at airport. Humidity and heat off the plane is a slap in the face. Child shell-shocked by heat. Buys me a few minutes of peace to retrieve our luggage. Child regains senses and frets. Nonetheless. Onwards and upwards. 14 days of sun here we come!

Hour 3: stuck in the ferry queue for an hour. No AC (you have to turn off your engines). Child now very cranky. Curls unfurling. Nerves fraying.

Hour 4: getting home. Hair and friendships fading fast. Communication down to grunts. Child seems to be draining our energy for her own consumption and gets a second wind.

Hour 5: we're here!! My hair is now completely poofy. No curls, nada. It doesn't look half bad, a messy fro, and still feels good but since we decide to go down the beach for dinner and I learned from past experience that windswept hair is not a good look on me, I put my hair into 4 bantu knots. Goodwill is restored all round and off we go for a lovely cheap and cheerful meal.

Bedtime!: hair and Child all tucked up for the night. I'm exhausted. Hair tales continue tomorrow.